Tonight, I'm going to play fast and loose with the order of service. Don't be afraid. I'm just going to change my sermon. I was telling some of you beforehand that it's absolutely impossible to preach one sermon in a church that you never preach in, to find a text that you want to preach and a text that the church might want to hear. So if you would turn with me to the Old Testament first to Psalm 113. Psalm 113. And here is the word of the Lord. Psalm 113. Praise the Lord. Praise, O servants of the Lord. Praise the name of the Lord. Let the name of the Lord be praised both now and forevermore. From the rising of the sun to the place where it sets, the name of the Lord is to be praised. the lord is exalted over all the nations his glory above the heavens who is like the lord our god the one who sits enthroned on high who stoops down to look on the heavens and the earth he raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap he sits with sits he seats them with princes with the princes of their people he settles the barren woman in her home as a happy mother of children. Praise the Lord. And if you would turn to the New Testament, Romans, same book, different chapter. Romans chapter 16. Romans chapter 16. Again, God's Word. I commend to you our sister Phoebe, a servant of the church in Sancria. I ask you to receive her in the Lord in a way worthy of the saints and to give her any help she may need from you. For she has been a great help to many people, including me. Greet Priscilla and Aquila, my fellow workers in Christ Jesus. They risked their lives for me. Not only I, but all the churches of the Gentiles are grateful to them. Greet also the church that meets at their house. Greet my dear friend, Eponidas. who was the first convert to Christ in the province of Asia. Greet Mary, who worked very hard for you. Greet Andronicus and Junius, my relatives, who have been in prison with me. They are outstanding among the apostles, and they were in Christ before I was. Greet Ampliatus, whom I love in the Lord. Greet Urbanus, our fellow worker in Christ, and my dear friend Stachys. Greet Apellus, tested and approved in Christ. Greet those who belong to the household of Aristobulus. Greet Herodian, my relative. Greet those in the household of Narcissus, who are in the Lord. Greet Tryphena and Tryphosa, those women who work hard in the Lord. Greet my dear friend Persis, another woman who has worked very hard in the Lord. Greet Rufus, chosen in the Lord, and his mother, who has been a mother to me too. Greet Asyncretus, Phlegon, Hermas, Petrobus, Hermas, and the brothers with them. Greet Philologus, Julia, Nereus, and his sister, and Olympus, and all the saints with them. Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the churches of Christ send greetings. I urge you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and put obstacles in your way that are contrary to the teaching that you have learned. Keep away from them, for such people are not serving our Lord Christ, but their own appetites. By smooth talk and flattery they deceive the minds of naive people. Everyone has heard about your obedience, so I am full of joy over you. But I want you to be wise about what is good, and innocent about what is evil. The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grass withers and the flower fades, but the word of our God shall stand forever. Amen. Beloved in the Lord Jesus Christ, all of us are familiar with famous last words. We all want to speak famous last words, maybe in our last will and testament. Maybe some eloquent way to greet or to, not greet, but to say farewell to our loved ones as we are even on our deathbed. All of us, though, do not want to have infamous last words. We want famous last words, not infamous last words. Paul's words here in Romans 16 are not his last words as a human being on earth. Not even his last words as an apostle. That way we would have to turn to 2 Timothy. But here we find Paul's final words to the church in Rome. And he's been writing for 15 chapters about the glory of our salvation. He's been speaking about guilt and grace and gratitude. Those three things that we must know to live and die happily in the joy of our comfort. Now, famous last words usually come to us with quippy little sayings. You might obviously know Caspar Livianus. Caspar Livianus, one of the writers of our catechism, said this on his deathbed. He was asked, Dear brother, thou art undoubtedly sure of your salvation as thou taught others constantly? And his simple response, his final word, certissimus, absolutely certain, very sure. Luther was asked the same thing as he was dying. Was he sure that what he had preached for so many years as a Protestant reformer was the same faith that he was dying in And his very eloquent answer was yes, very powerfully saying yes. Children, you might know from your history class the story of John Adams and Thomas Jefferson. On July 4th, 1826, they both passed away. John Adams' final words was, Thomas Jefferson still survives. You see, he had made a pledge and a promise to Jefferson later on in their lives that they would live to see the 50th anniversary of our nation's independence. Well, here in Romans 16, we have final words, final greetings from the Apostle Paul to the church in Rome, but also a final exhortation, and even later on, which we did not read, a final doxology of praise to God for all that he had done. Well, how is this a fitting conclusion? How do Paul's words speak anything to us tonight? A list of names. Most of these we do not know of and we do not know much about at all. We might know of Phoebe and maybe a few others. That's about it. This is a list of names you might say. Why would you come and preach this sermon tonight? A list of names that I can't even pronounce. Loved ones, these words, or in these words, we find great joy. We find great comfort. For you see, when we know what the book of Romans is all about, when we understand that Paul has been speaking for chapter after chapter after chapter, That God has, in Christ, brought us a marvelous salvation. That He has redeemed us with a greater exodus, a greater redemption than we read of in Psalm 114. These words make great sense. He's said already that all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. That there is none good, no, not one. Both Jews and Greeks, all are dead in sins and trespasses. But all those who call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved, despite their background. Jew or Gentile, slave or free. male or female. And he's even said that we together as a church, all of us together are to lay down our lives as a living sacrifice of thanksgiving to God. He's been speaking to this church as a corporate entity. They were all in sin. They are all then in Christ redeemed. And they all then by the Holy Spirit have been given a new life to lay down themselves as a living sacrifice. And then he comes to this conclusion. And he gives us here in a microcosm, chapter 16 of Romans, a small little portion of the church Catholic, to see what it is that Christ has done, to see those for whom Christ has come to die for, to see those whom the Father has chosen, to see those whom the Holy Spirit has sealed and regenerated and opened up their eyes to say, Jehovah is my light and my salvation near. Paul speaks of guilt, grace, and gratitude. We, tonight, are found in this list. For Christ's salvation has no bounds. It has no borders. It comes to all who call upon the name of the Lord. Now, his final greetings, then, in chapters 16, 1 through 16, his final greeting to this church that he had never visited, but a church that he loved. You might ask me, well, what's in a name, and what's in this list of names? And we find many things. The great church father, Chrysostom, for example, spoke of this chapter, saying, it is possible even from bare names to find a great treasure. Bare names, we find a great treasure. And the treasure, loved ones, is not in this. It is not in the names themselves. It is not in what these names mean. It is not in some great allegorical sermon that I can preach tonight and tell you how somehow these names all apply to us. The treasure is in the fact that this is the church of Jesus Christ that He has come to die for. This is this church tonight that I speak of. The very same people that are listed here are sitting next to you in these pews. The same people that are out in Oceanside. The same who are down in Santee. The same who are out in the world around us. Slaves and free. Rich and poor. Men and women. Those who are destitute. Those who are well off. This chapter speaks of that salvation. And it speaks of our world. That is the treasure then. We find the church here in living color. The same people that are dead in sin. The same ones that have done nothing good to earn their salvation are found right here. The same ones for whom Christ died are right there. The same ones for whom the Holy Spirit came are found here as well. Well, let us look at a few of the names and we'll see how this comes out in living color for us. Well, first of all, we find in verses 1-2 this woman, Phoebe. You might be familiar with her. Phoebe was named after a Roman goddess. But notice that Paul speaks of her as our sister. She was a Gentile. She was a pagan. She was outside of God's covenant of grace. But now she's a sister. Now she's a fellow heir of Christ. Now she is a Christian. Now she's a member of the church. Phoebe, this sister, this patron, this one who was well off. A great help to Paul and to the church in Sancria. Verse 3 and 4, he speaks of Priscilla and Aquila. You might know them from the book of Acts. The ones who catechized Apollos. These, Priscilla and Aquila, were willing to die for the Apostle Paul, as he himself says, that they risked, verse 4, their lives for me. They were Jewish fellow kinsmen of the Apostle. Notice that in verse number 7, Andronicus and Julia, he speaks of them as fellow Jews. Then you have in verse number 9, this interesting name, Stachys, a name that I won't pick for my future son, but Stachys, which in Greek means an ear of corn. Possibly a farmer. One who might have been well off, but for the most part probably was not. Verse 8, 9, and 14, and 15, we read of this list of names. Ampliatus, Urbanus, Hermas, Philologus, Julia. Common Roman slave names. These people have no standing. These people have no money. These are slaves. Common people. Urbanus simply speaks of the commonness of his name. Herodian, verse number 11. A member of Herod the Great's family. A man of great standing. Verse 10 speaks of Aristobulus' household. Again, more slaves. Those who could not free themselves. Who could not liberate themselves. Verse 13. This man, Rufus, who was the son of Simon of Cyrene. The man who carried the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. And finally, verse number 11. We find that name Narcissus who was in history known as a rich, powerful freedman who influenced Claudius Caesar. So let me ask you tonight then, seeing this list, rich and poor, slave and free, male and female, Jew and Gentile, those who are down and out, those who have great wealth, what kind of people does Christ come to save? Whom does the Lord Himself bring His salvation to? If someone was to ask you, what kinds of persons do you Christians believe in that God saves? What do you have to do to be a Christian? What must I be to be saved? We should go to this text and show them that it is not who you are. It is not your standing. It is not what you have or what you do not have. It is simply those who trust. Those who place their faith in Jesus Christ. As Paul says back in Romans 4, verses 4 and 5, For the one who works, God counts that as wages and He counts it as debt. He will repay him. But for the one who does not work, but simply trusts in the one who justifies the ungodly, God will count His faith as righteousness. Those who do not work, those who are weak, those who are helpless, those who cannot help themselves, those who can do nothing to raise themselves up to spiritual life, those who cannot free themselves, these are the ones for whom Christ has died. These are the ones for whom God came and sent His Son to be a propitiation for our sins, who for us men and for our salvation. Not for us rich. Not simply for us poor. Not for us men. Not for us women. Not for any specific typecast, but for all who call upon His name. For us men in the general sense. For us humans. For us sons and daughters of Adam. For those of us who are fallen in our sins. Those who cannot raise ourselves. He has come to die for those. And loved ones, what a picture we have here in Romans 16. Of the treasure of our salvation then. The psalmist says, praise the Lord. Praise the name of the Lord. Let His name be praised forevermore. From this time forth and forever. From the rising of the sun to its setting. There is no place then where salvation is not found. And Romans 16 is a picture of that. Of course, he's speaking to Rome. He's speaking to the first century. He's speaking of certain people within Rome. and within the church in Rome. But they are a slice of humanity. God comes then to save the helpless, the slave, those who have nothing. He also comes to save those who thought that they could help themselves. The rich, possibly. Those who have great standing. Those who have great status in the world. Christ came to save them and to show them that they could not help themselves, although they thought they could. We find here then the words of Jesus, John 3, verse 16, For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. We find that world here portrayed for us in Romans 16. God so loved the world that He saved all these who are found here, weak and great. We find here Revelation 5.9 illustrated that Christ has come to redeem those from every single tribe, tongue, language, and nation. We find Paul's words in 1 Timothy 1.15 that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners of whom I am she. We find Paul's words in Romans 5.6 that when we were weak, the powerless, the helpless, the destitute, Christ died for the ungodly. We find Paul's words, Romans 9.16, here as well. That He does not come to save him who wills, nor him who runs, but it is only of God's free mercy in Jesus Christ that we are saved. This is a picture of your salvation tonight, loved ones. All of you who trust in the name of Jesus Christ, you are found here in this list because Christ has come to redeem all those who are weak, all those who are powerless all those who cast themselves before the mercy of the court not doing anything not doing any works not even casting down their own good works but simply pleading for mercy thus the Lord redeemed Israel the same way as He redeems us as the church in Deuteronomy chapter 7 you remember that story where Moses is speaking to Israel and God says that I saved you not because you are greater in number but simply because I have chosen to love you christ has come to show that love christ has come to exercise that love christ has come to purchase that love of god for us by obeying for us perfectly and he has come to apply that love by the power of his holy spirit to all those who are found in this text for all those who cast themselves before god for salvation it is a picture of our salvation then the great treasure of our Texas, but it's also a picture of us as the church. This is a picture of you. This is a picture of me and how we fit ourselves in the church of Jesus Christ as members. It's not only a picture of salvation that is somewhere out there, this abstract idea of how I was saved or how my neighbor was saved. It's a picture of the church. It's a picture of how there are many members, chapter 12 of Romans, yet there is one body. It is a picture of how Paul says in 1 Corinthians that there are many pieces of bread, but yet there is one loaf that we partake of it is a picture of that salvation you see here women and men free and and enslaved rich and poor jew and gentile put together in one list united together in jesus christ and there are no distinctions there are not those who are put on a higher level than others there are not those amongst us who have a higher spirituality than others and you all know that i grew up in a church that believed in that that there are those who are spirit-filled christians and that there were those who were carnal Christians. And it was only the one who was a spirit-filled Christian who really had things going for him or her that really had assurance of salvation, that really knew deep down inside that they were a Christian, that really knew that God loved them and that Christ died for them. But Paul says nothing here of that. He says to us that all of us, no matter what our standing is, we are all found together in Jesus Christ. It's a picture of us as a church, that God comes to save sinners He comes to save the weak. He comes to save the powerless. And I am a testimony of that. And many of us here are testimonies of that, who have been converted later in life. That God did not show distinctions in saving us, but He saved us despite our sins, and in view of our sins, and our depravity, and our weakness. And of course, as a church planter of your daughter church, I must commend you for the work that you have done, and you are even doing now. Reformed church plants, loved ones, are flourishing in our area. Not because we are wise, not because we are great speakers, not because we are energetic and we are passionate about the gospel. Those things are wonderful. But it also comes down to this, that you believed that Christ is building His church. He has done it for us out on the coast. And those of you who have come out, you've seen the evidence of that. And we are seeing the evidence of that throughout our county. We are seeing that down in Santee. we are seeing that with people who never were members of churches. Those who were weak, those who were poor, those who were destitute, those who knew nothing of Christ have come to saving faith in Him. Because maybe you didn't want to do it at first, but you did. You voted yes to plant a church, and God has worked. I must commend you for that, and I praise the Lord for this church. And I'm sure all of us have some part to play in His kingdom, whether it is through praying, simply remembering, encouraging, or doing other great works. But Paul writes to us here of a picture of the church. He does not say that there are walls, that there are boundaries, that there are certain times and places where God brings salvation and He may not bring it to other places. He says that salvation is spread about the whole earth. And it is for us in faith to respond to that. Laying down our lives as living sacrifices, hoping to see, praying to see this very church filled with those who are weak and wounded, sick and sorrowful, but yet who are saints and sinners at the same time. In this church then we find many members, yet all found in one body. And as the church of Jesus Christ, He says in verse 16, greet one another with a holy kiss. The most intimate greeting, the way that you would greet your mother or your father, your brother, your sister, The way that you would greet your parents' children or parents that you would greet your children having returned from a trip, for example. Paul says, greet one another with a holy kiss. He says, those of you who are Jews, those of you who know the Old Testament, those of you who are circumcised, greet the one who is an outsider, who was unclean. And for the one who was unclean, who is now made clean, greet the one who may have certain scruples about days and about meats and drinks, as he says earlier in chapter 14, greet each other with a holy kiss. We are a new family in Jesus Christ, this church. We are a new family in Jesus Christ with new relationships to each other and to God Himself. Now those of you who are young like myself, Generation X or even more recent, the NetGen generation as I call it now, the post-everythings, those of you who are young like myself know that the world that we live in does not emphasize having roots. It does not emphasize having a foundation, having a world around us that has meaning. We live in a fractured world. We live in a world that has no roots. I have a family, yes. But there's really no meaning to my life, we might think. Paul is here speaking to us in this generation that we now live in, the 21st century. He's saying to us that in the church we find this broken world and individuals who are pictures of that broken world brought together to be one. Brought together to find meaning in this world. And we find that in the church. We find that in Jesus Christ. We find that, loved ones, in this new family of God. You have new brothers and you have new sisters. You might take that for granted. But you have new brothers, new sisters, fathers and mothers in the faith. And thus Paul says, greet each other with the holy kids. Greet each other as a family would greet each other. Love each other as a family would love each other. And there are going to be grievances from row to row across this aisle right here amongst us. But Paul says, greet each other. Forgive each other as God has forgiven us in Christ. Love each other as a family. As it's sometimes been said, blood is thicker than water. You've heard that, I'm sure. It's not true. Water, baptismal water, that is, is thicker than blood. Loved ones, we might have grievances with our brother or sister, literally or spiritually speaking. But the water of baptism unites us together as Christians. Our confession of the Apostles and Nicene Creed unites us together as Christians in this family of God. And whether we are literally family or not, whether we don't like the other family or not, Paul says that we must forgive, we must mend, we must heal. And the church, you tonight in this church, are a picture to the world of how this fractured, broken, sin-laden, torn world, Filled with sin and darkness, depravity. You are a picture to the world that is out there tonight. That is driving by us right now. You are a picture to them of how God mends and how He heals and how He redeems and how He joins together in one. Those from the outside, those from the inside, those from every side He brings together in Jesus Christ. And thus He speaks to us of this marvelous salvation. He speaks to us as the church about this new relationship that we have to each other. And we find ourselves then in this text, as the psalmist said, from the rising of the sun to its setting. The psalmist already saw the day of Christ. The psalmist by faith looked forward to a day when God would reveal salvation, not simply to Israel, but to all the nations. And we are evidence. We are a picture. We are the result of that salvation. We are a result of what the psalmist prayed for. Well, notice in verses 17 through 20, Finally, he gives his final greetings in verses 1 through 16. But he also gives us a final exhortation. A final exhortation. Verses 17 through 20. As the church is a family, and as you know, all families have their issues, and all families have their problems. He writes to the church in Rome. One last exhortation. He has spoken to them about the gospel for roughly 15 chapters. The gospel is the power of God to salvation for all who believe. He has belabored that point. He has beat it into our heads. If you've read Romans, I've been preaching through it for a year and a half, so speaking to my own church. He's beat it into our heads for a year and a half out in Oceanside and for 15 chapters here in Romans. And he writes us then one last exhortation to remind us, to persuade us, to plead with us one final time to hold fast the faith that He has revealed and spoken to us. Notice verse 17. He says, I urge you. I appeal to you. I plead with you. I exhort you with the greatest emotion that He has. I appeal and I urge brothers to watch out for those who cause divisions and put obstacles in your way. Paul exhorts us tonight as the church. He exhorts us with three basic things. First of all, to watch. Second of all, to avoid, and thirdly, to discern. He says for us to watch out for those who come in, those who bring divisions, those who bring a stumbling block, an obstacle, those who trip up the faith of the faithful. Well, what should we watch out for? Well, first of all, he's speaking to us as a church to watch out, as the family of God. We must watch out for those who would come and seek to destroy this family of God. But he also is writing to the elders of this church and the church in general. This word for watch out is related to the word in 1 Timothy 3 of the elders, the overseers, those who watch out for the flock of God. And for you elders tonight, he's speaking to you specifically to keep your eyes out for ravenous wolves from within but also from without. Watch out for those who cause divisions and put obstacles in your way that are contrary to the teaching you have learned. Well, what should I watch out for, you might say. What should I keep my eyes open for in this church or the church in general? Well, very simply, three things. Guilt, grace, and gratitude. He's spoken of that for 15 chapters. Our guilt in Christ. And if anyone comes here and takes away from that and says, well, we're sinful, but we're really not that bad. We have had our wills bent, but our wills are still there. We still have a free will. We're not quite as bad as you would like to think. We're a little bit good. We've got a spark of ability. But friends, watch out for that. We all know that in our own history as Reformed churches that has plagued us. But this is true across the spectrum in our day of churches, across the Christian world, that people believe that God is sovereign when they want Him to heal them. That God can do whatever He wants to do. He will convert my friend. But when it comes to my salvation, I hold on to something. I had some part to play, and I hold on to that as tightly as possible. Because my sin is not that bad. I wasn't completely depraved. Watch out for that. For salvation in the same light. Some, and many, or almost all, we would say, speak of salvation in terms of a cooperation with grace. Whether it's free will, whether it's good works, whether it's sacraments, the Roman Catholic Church. We must be aware of that. We must keep our eyes out for anything that detracts from salvation. Not of him who wills, not of him who runs, but of God who shows mercy. We must proclaim that, that free mercy in Christ. And finally, our servants. Lots of Christians, loved ones, believe that we are not obligated to serve Christ. The Ten Commandments are for Israel. The Ten Commandments don't matter for us. It's an option for us to make Christ Lord. I made Him my Savior, but I don't have to make Him my Lord. Loved ones, watch out for that, Paul says. Anything that detracts from our guilt, grace, and gratitude. Those very simple three things that we learned in the first grade, or those of you who grew up here learned in the first grade, question two of our catechism. These things are contrary, Paul says, to the teaching that you learned. The things that you were instructed in. The catechism that you were taught from your earliest infancy. Watch out. These things are contrary. Parents, this is a reason for us to continue to teach our children, to continue to catechize them, to instruct them, to pray with them, to teach them the Lord's Prayer, the creeds, to teach them the great questions of our catechism, to teach them the great history of our salvation, to teach them the Old Testament, the stories of God's salvation. And children, this is a reason for you to pay attention, for you to listen, because your parents are watching out for you. They only want the best. They may not always do it the best way, but they want the best. Parents, church, catechize your members. Catechize the faithful. Catechize those who are outside of this church and children especially. Also, he says, avoid. Watch out for those and avoid them. Should some come into this place or to the church in any place, but especially here tonight, Paul says, avoid them. He's not speaking loved ones about not speaking to them. He's not saying, don't talk to unbelievers. Don't talk to those who are known heretics. He's saying, don't let them stand here. Don't let them preach the gospel from this place or what they call the gospel. Avoid them, loved ones, he says, in that sense. Do not let them be elders or ministers in our churches. Of course, speak to them. Speak to them and warn them of the peril of their own belief system. Speak to them about the good news of Jesus Christ. Speak to your friends, your neighbors who do not know Christ. Do not avoid them, Paul is saying, but avoid those who would come in as false shepherds and seek to proclaim. Why? Because, he says, verse 18, They are not serving our Lord Christ, but their own appetites, their own stomachs, their own desires, their own things that they want by smooth talk and flattery. You'll notice in verse 20, it says the God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. Here in verse 18, he's speaking of smooth talk and flattery. The very same serpent-like speech that the devil in Genesis chapter 3 used to deceive our first parents, Adam and Eve in paradise. They, by smooth talk and flattery, deceive the minds of naive people. Elders, that is why Paul writes, one last exhortation, because not every single member of the church who are professing members have a full understanding of all the ramifications of what they've said. Not every single person understands all that is going on in our midst. Some are naive, some are weak, some are new to the faith, some are tender, some are like little children. And to watch out is to watch out for them. It's to shepherd those who are weak. To shepherd those injured sheep. And he says finally to discern. We must watch out. We must avoid those. And we must discern, he says. Verse number 19. Everyone has heard about your obedience. So I am full of joy over you. But I want you to be wise about what is good. And innocent about what is evil. Be discerning, the Apostle Paul says, about the faith, about the things that you were instructed in, verse 17, the things that you were catechized in. But notice verse 20, the promise of God for us tonight, the final promise. In this time in which we live, the church is a mixed bag. The church is filled with wheat and tare and sheep and goat and good and bad and good teachers and bad teachers. Paul says, in the midst of that, we as the church of Christ are like the wilderness generation. There are those who are going to fall by the wayside and there are those who are going to press forward and persevere to the end. We are a wilderness generation. We are a wandering people. We are aliens and strangers. And in that situation, it is difficult to watch out. It is hard to keep our eyes out. It is hard to avoid those and to be discerning because the devil prowls about like a roaring lion. But Paul says, verse 20, The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The God of peace, loved ones. We don't live in an age of peace now. But the God who gives us peace in Jesus Christ will one day give us final peace. He will crush the serpent under your feet. And he's speaking especially of false teaching. That is the devil's primary way of leading Christ's church astray is by flattery, smooth words. You're not so bad. You could have done a little bit for your own salvation. You don't really have to be faithful to your wife. You can turn the TV on. You can turn the internet on. You can do a little bit of this, a little bit of that. You don't really have to serve Christ with all of your heart, soul, mind, and strength. God knows we can't all do it. But Paul says the God of peace will soon crush Satan, that arch enemy of all of us, the one who is seeking to lead us astray this very night. He will crush Him under our feet. He's already done so in principle. He's already done so on the cross of our Lord. He's already crushed His head. But He will finally do so. We will finally have all the results, all the benefits of that peace. One day when we shall see Him in glory, we shall see the devil and all his minions in that lake of fire, and we shall praise Him forever and ever, casting our crowns before Him. He shall give us peace. But loved ones, this is the age of warfare. This is the age in which we put on the armor of God. This is the age in which we watch out, we avoid, and we are discerning. And we pray, and we hope, and we look forward to that peace. We look forward to God crushing the serpent under our feet. And may we look forward to that, hoping expectantly that He will free us, not only from our sin, but He will free us from this life and the circumstances of the sin-torn world. And may God give us His Spirit tonight to persevere to that end as His redeemed people. Amen.